How to get enough gold to buy your mount at L40

[Concillian]

Hmm, we have an alchemist.  I had no idea potions did so well--I'll have him try this out!

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On Lightbringer, Swiftness pots were about 1-2 gold per stack of 5. And Lightbringer is a PvE server too. I haven't looked on Terenas.
Swifthistle is needed for thistle tea, a Rogue only item that instantly gives 100 Energy. Level 60 Ruges use the stuff, and they have more gold than they know what to do with. A stack of 20 sells for well over 1 gold.

So farming Briarthorn and Mageroyal is good too (Swifthistle comes about 50% on Briarthorn and 30% on Mageroyal)

[Concillian]

In short, grind in certain areas, and eliminate a 1/4 of the game (though crafting might not even be a quarter of the game really) until you are 2/3rds of the way to level cap. 

Not saying it won't work, it looks like it would work very well, but that just won't appeal to some.  Especially the casual gamer who is most likely to have the issues.  I keep hoping to see a reponse that fits into the flow of the game better, but I guess that won't work.
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I think it's too late for them to be able to 'fit into the flow of the game'

If you want to get a mount by 40 and fit into the flow of the game, you have to try, and you have to start at level 1.

Look at all the other items in the game. Any item that is "Requires level X" is not easily obtainable at all at level X (unless it's on the Auction House, but you technically didn't obtain it then). Items that "Requires Level X" drop off mobs level X+2, or even X+5 or higher. They never drop off equal level mobs. This is true all the way to 60, where to get an item that requires level 60 you basically have to farm the hell out of a few select locations.

Getting a mount at 40 should be very difficult. It IS within the flow of the game for it to be near impossible unless you focus a LOT of time and effore on that one goal.

[Mavfin]

In short, grind in certain areas, and eliminate a 1/4 of the game (though crafting might not even be a quarter of the game really) until you are 2/3rds of the way to level cap. 

Not saying it won't work, it looks like it would work very well, but that just won't appeal to some.  Especially the casual gamer who is most likely to have the issues.  I keep hoping to see a reponse that fits into the flow of the game better, but I guess that won't work.
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I think one of the keys is to make the crafting/gathering fit in to the normal flow of things, rather than being an extra. I gained 2 levels last night, and crafted a big bunch of leather, too. I killed, I skinned, I skinned what others left lying about while waiting for the mobs to respawn. I was doing green quests, like Bolty advises, so respawning didn't scare me. I wasn't *re-farming* anything.


What I might have to do later is unknown. However, I probably won't re-farm areas if I don't have to. I will, however, if I need to do some more grinding, and have done the 'human' default area, I'll go do the equiv dwarf or night-elf area rather than grind the same one over and over. I'd avoid that if at all possible, myself.

[Cryptic]

Yeah, but better an instant wash than one that takes time. If you have some cash you can invest it in playing the house like I recomended. Plus you get your skill level up, hopefully to a point that you can make something more in demand.
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The best ways I know for casual players to get a mount are to join a large guild of higher levels and ask for donations, and to mix your gathering with your questing - kill X of mob Y to get Z works well when you're getting leather too. If crafting is important to you, make sure you're making something that always sells on the side. For example if you're a leatherworker always make everything you don't use into armor kits and auction them. And low-level market manipulation (say, bronze and healing potions) can be done in 20-30 minutes a day and still be profitable.

It is still possible to get a mount at 40 if you're spending on other things, but of course these goals are in direct conflict with each other. The more you choose to spend, the longer it's going to take to get a mount.

[Kevin]

I think it's too late for them to be able to 'fit into the flow of the game'

If you want to get a mount by 40 and fit into the flow of the game, you have to try, and you have to start at level 1.

Look at all the other items in the game.  Any item that is "Requires level X" is not easily obtainable at all at level X (unless it's on the Auction House, but you technically didn't obtain it then).  Items that "Requires Level X" drop off mobs level X+2, or even X+5 or higher.  They never drop off equal level mobs.  This is true all the way to 60, where to get an item that requires level 60 you basically have to farm the hell out of a few select locations.

Getting a mount at 40 should be very difficult.  It IS within the flow of the game for it to be near impossible unless you focus a LOT of time and effore on that one goal.
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My tone appears to have conveyed things I didn't mean. I don't disagree that getting a mount at 40 should be hard. I just keep hoping that there is a way that doesn't require focusing on it. :) I want the "I win button".

I think one of the keys is to make the crafting/gathering fit in to the normal flow of things, rather than being an extra. I gained 2 levels last night, and crafted a big bunch of leather, too. I killed, I skinned, I skinned what others left lying about while waiting for the mobs to respawn. I was doing green quests, like Bolty advises, so respawning didn't scare me. I wasn't *re-farming* anything.

Oh, I know. I have only had to do gathering outside of my normal questing a few times. Most of that has involved getting enough iron while in the low 30's to be able to craft stuff that you can wear in the low 30's since iron is not common until the mobs around it are in the upper 30's it seems (the few nodes in Duskwood and wetlands are rare and often camped though thousand needles offers a good amount and you can get it questing in shimmering flats as well). :) I've also done runs to get stuff to make for lower level characters. The gathering and crafting of this type isn't for any skill up though because it's well below my level.

My crafting has always stayed with my level (meaning thst stuff I can craft has a level requirement to use at or above my character level) by starting early and by doing it while questing. If it is skinable, it gets skinned. If I can pick it or mine it, I do so. One of my bags or more is always devoted to crafting goods, and that works for me. However you aren't able to sell the mats like this as you need it all to keep the skill up with your level unless you have another person feeding you. At L34, I can now sell tin, copper, and silver if I want to as it doesn't help with skill ups, but I'm not in areas where you don't see much of that anymore either.


So yeah, I realize it has to be a goal, but I keep hoping there is a way to do it without having to focus on it. I get bored quick doing that, the goal is too nebulous to hold the interest, I need more immediate feedback. The game is very good at covering the grind by giving frequent rewards though. But I don't even want to go into an instance again unless I still need to finish a quest there. One and done is my prefered playstyle. I get no enjoyment out of playing the auction house either. I put stuff up occasionally and usually only do a quick check so that my price is in line with what is out there already. This means I probably won't see a mount unitl L45 or 50. :) But it doesn't mean I can't hope someone will find a way to help a more casual approach to the game get a mount at 40. :)

[Concillian]

But I don't even want to go into an instance again unless I still need to finish a quest there.  One and done is my prefered playstyle. 
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Totally different from me. I like to do instances just because. Even if not for farming items or completing quests, I just like the teamwork aspect of it.

I have even considered joining guilds that use voice comms, etc... to improve group dynamics and tactics. To me quests are stopgap to getting the next level instances. My Lightbringer priest leveled almost exclusively from instances starting at 18.

So for those on Terenas who ever see me on and want to do an instance in my level range, please ask me. About the only time I'll say no is when I don't have the time.

[Nordramor]

Fastest Farming Money:

Scarlet Monastery, Crypt Instance

The mobs in this part of the SM are only levels 30-34. If you are 40, you can kill any solo mob with a fair bit of ease (and maybe get some xp).

Each mob drops about 3s on average. They also have high drop rates on items. This is a lot of raw cash, vendorable items, and AH-able items.

So far, this much is standard for an instance. The trick is this: mobs spawn in the actual crypt area at an enormous rate. By the time you've killed 4-5 mobs, the first one you've killed is respawning 10 feet away. You only have to move about 5 feet to find another mob. And some of them aren't elite. Unfettered Spirits spawn in groups of 3 and are not elite, and have excellent drop rates.

Average is about 6g an hour. If you've got a few free 12-slotters, you can fill them up in about 2 hours of farming. In that 2 hours, you'll make between 8 and 16g.

Tips:
Stick to the path and watch out for respawns constantly. This is not an 'easy' farm, but it is fast if you play with good awareness.
You can avoid fighting the interrogaters if you kill the solo walker and play it safe.

[ima_nerd]

On my server (Magtheridon) the market has virtually collapsed for leather. The demand is low and the supply is high, anyone with a brain (or if they don't have a brain and have taken basic economics) can tell that that's bad for suppliers. With my skinning at 230 it hits me pretty hard. I dropped LW long ago because of high leather prices...now I'm regretting dropping it for my now 85 mining skill. Im 36 and only have 30g. I could borrow what I need since all my friends are 40+ and have money, but I would like to buy my own mount to compensate for my lack of leveling skills :P I put up 7 stacks of heavy leather and 10 stacks of med leather up at AH (heavy was 30s buyout, 5 below average price. med was 17s buyout, 3s below average price.) It all came back the next day. I promptley vendored it, made my measly profit and have been vendoring leather ever since. If my server is the only place where the market has died, then I apologize for my lengthy post. if it's not, then I still apologize for my lengthy post. :P

[Zarathustra]

First Aid.

Let me say it again: First Aid

Pick up this skill and work it up so that you can make silk and heavy silk bandages, and then just follow all the advice above. With all the silk you come across in the mid 30s and up, you stand to make some decent money. The bandages sell to vendors for more than the cloth from which they're made.

[mattis]

The bandages sell to vendors for more than the cloth from which they're made.

I'm sure this is true but I'm also willing to bet that you'd make more money selling the cloth at the AH. For instance, mageweave bandages sell for 80s per stack of 20. On my server a stack of mageweave cloth sells for > 1.75g.

[vor_lord]

I'm sure this is true but I'm also willing to bet that you'd make more money selling the  cloth at the AH.  For instance, mageweave bandages sell for 80s per stack of 20.  On my server a stack of mageweave cloth sells for > 1.75g.
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True for mageweave, but it was silk in question and the AH is waaaay overstocked with silk. Right now I am only collecting mageweave occasionally, haven't amassed enough to matter.

[Ruvanal]

First Aid.

Let me say it again:  First Aid

Pick up this skill and work it up so that you can make silk and heavy silk bandages, and then just follow all the advice above.  With all the silk you come across in the mid 30s and up, you stand to make some decent money.  The bandages sell to vendors for more than the cloth from which they're made.
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hmm....
Vendors purchase prices of
silk cloth at 1.5 silver per piece.
silk bandage at 2.0 silver per piece (1 cloth to make).
heavy silk bandage at 4.0 silver per piece (2 cloth to make).
AH suggested starting bid price for silk is 2.25 silver per piece of cloth.

At least from what I have seen at the alliance AH on Stormrage, there are very few cases of players bothering to set their minimum bids to less than the 2.25 silver/piece rate. By placing a realatively aggressive buyouts (say 3.0 to 3.5 silver per piece) you have a good chance to sell the silk for a better return than just making bandages. If you set it an lower buyout, then you are almost assured that it will be bought out rather than returned later, even if there are a few hundred listing of silk cloth there. The market manipulators and bargin hunters will see to that.

P.S. there are some other 'creative' ways to raise some cash, but they are not very tolerent of having much competetion. I am already having problems with 2 such players (Piwacket and Cellit) that destroying 2 of those methods. But considering that a couple of others yielded about a 20 gold profit for about two and half hours 'work' (ha, it was mostly just running from spot to spot, no fighting). Maybe after I have money for the mounts for at least 3 of my characters, I will list some of them out.

[vor_lord]

Fastest Farming Money:

Scarlet Monastery, Crypt Instance

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We took our first trip to SM last night (completed the library and the armory). While we were waiting for our fifth, we did a portion of the crypt instance. This looks to be like it will work well for cash farming indeed. I like it because of the presence of undead.

Really in a couple of hours doing the library and the armory I think all 5 of us made a couple of gold also, more pending AH sales for some drops. Not sure I'd like to try the armory without our full party though!

Thanks everyone for all your tips. I was able to make about 3g profit just buying iron bars during the week and selling them on the weekend for a little markup (I was not aggressive enough--the buyouts were too fast, but I still made a profit with only minimal effort as I can track bids and auctions on my second computer while at work :lol:

The iron circuit in Arathi has been useful too.

[Thawwing Light]

Well, I've been saving up since level 10. So, at level 28 and @12g, I feel I'm doing so-so despite my saving efforts. Some advice:

1) Avoid enchanters like the plague. They are the antichrist of money, a black void where all green drops go. Since a close friend of mine is the shaman of our permanent group, this is rather difficult ;]. Then again, when he gets to high enchanting, the free enchants I get will probably repay this.

2) Know what to vendor and what to AH. Usually, random beast parts get vendor'd by me, and all greens, stacks of raw materials I don't need, and the odd good crafting product get auctioned.

3) Pick a good job. I've done mining/engineering and mining/smithing thus far, and they seem about even. Smithing seems less profitable, but the ability to make keys and some of my own gear, as well as some things that people will buy at the AH for 20s... I'm pleased. I can't think of a bad job, other than enchanting.

4) Keep your materials. I sold about 60 bronze on the AH for about 2g, but I'd rather have that for the 30 smithing it'd give me. Ah well. Same goes for cloth and its use in most professions as well as first aid. Then again, if you're in a guild, spare materials (indeed, all my cloth) will go to those that can use it. I've sent several gold worth of cloth to my other friend, a tailor, but my set of 10slot bags makes up for it.

5) Don't buy anything from the auction house. Quest and craft your gear. It's a bit late for that now, but hey, it might save you a gold or two.

Is there a way to summarize this? Be greedy, but not too greedy. Give people in your guild only what they need badly, not what they want. As I've randomly given away 42 wool to someone who wanted to level first aid (when I ought to have used it for my own first aid), I don't exactly practice what I preach, but I can't complain, as I'm in rather good finances at the moment.